CHAPTER 2: THE HUMAN HARDWARE

In Chapter One we saw how we are fearfully and wonderfully made...and how the process of speaking and hearing...in the physical, natural realm...is a syngergistic process of receiving and transmitting information. In the physical we have vocal folds, respiratory system, teeth, lips, gums, tongue, soft palate, pharyngeal cavity, nasal cavity...all coordinated to transmit sound. In the physical we also have the ear (receiver of sound). The ear is composed of the outer, middle and inner ear. The ear consists of many intricate parts that has a part in the receiving of the transmitted sound. The ear consists of: the pinna/aurical (bilateral on each side of the noggin)...that catches the transmitted sound waves. The ear canal then directs the sound to the tympanic memebrane (eardrum) that becomes the entrance into the middle ear that takes sound wave energy and changes it into mechanical energy. The 3 bones system attaches to the inner ear/cochlea...and translates the mechanical energy into hydrolic wave motion that altenates waves of fluid around the cochlea, that snaps tiny hair structures and turns the hydro energy into electrical energy. The track around the cochlea is attuned to certain frequencies of sound that is transferred to the brain (control central) via the VIII Cranial Nerve (acoustic nerve) turning that sound into neural energy. In the brain, the sound is then deciphered...decoded...analyzed and either stored for future reference or responded to via the speech mechanisms. This physical process is going on constantly...handling multiple messages and can be one on one or one to an auditorium filled with other receiver/transmitters.

UNDERSTANDING THE HARDWARE

In the natural there are physical things that breaks down the communication process...and in the spiritual...there are things that breaks down our Divine link. We need to understand the hardware that God has given us , for the communication process in the physical and the spiritual.

PURPOSE OF THE HARDWARE

God uses the human hardware to: (1) Communicate with us (2) Allows us to communicate with Him (3) Allows us to communicate His Word to others. We begin to SPEAK words not taught by human wisdom..but those taught by the Spirit...combining (1) Spiritual thoughts (2) Spiritual words. (I Corninthians 2:13)

CLAY VESSELS

God chooses to use the human...clay...flesh...fallible speech and hearing mechanisms...to speak to us...and for us to communicate with Him and to others. WHY???? I don't know. I don't even know why Jesus loves me. I don't grasp and comprehend why He allowed Himself to be hung on the cross in my place as a substitue for my sins...becoming the satisfaction (propitiation) for God.

UNDERSTAND/DON'T UNDERSTAND

I found out a long time ago...that my understanding or not understanding is not the criteria for truth. Just because I don't understand something, does not negate the validity of something. Before I had an inkling of an idea how the speech and hearing process worked...that did not stop me from speaking and hearing. I really don't have a clue as to how electricity works...or how a computer works...or how a telephone works...but that does not stop me from using them in my daily life. I can't see the air that I breath...but that does not stop me from inhaling and exhaling.

GODISNOWHERE

If you take some time and look at the letters GODISNOWHERE...you will either decode this phrase as GOD IS NO WHERE....or you will decode the phrase as GOD IS NOW HERE. Same phrase...different interpretation...it all depends on how you look at it. So it is with spiritual matters. If you look at them from a totally physical point of view...you will miss the spiritual implications.

HUMAN/SPIRITUAL HARDARE

At the first of this chapter...there was a diagram of the breakdown of man/woman/humans. This is an important concept to understanding the mystery of the communication process with God.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit, soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thessalonians 5:23)

This verse reveals the breakdown of man/woman/humans. We are not just a body walking around aimlessly. We are not just a soul that is ruled and shaped by the nurtured/innate training and emotion. There is a third component that we often ignore..or lump into the soul category. That third element is the spirit (little s versus big S). The big S is the Holy Spirit...the little s is the human spirit. We will delve deeper in to this in the next chapter.

THE KOINE' FACTOR

God's heartbeat is communication. In the Greek language there is a word that describes God's heartbeat...KOINE'. This word means COMMON. The New Testament is written in the KOINE' language versus the CLASSICAL Greek language. It was the language of the common man. The word koine' is a root for other words such as communication, communion. It is the word KOINONIA...which means fellowship or sharing life around a common purpose.

THE WORD

"In the beginning was the WORD/JESUS...and the WORD/JESUS was with God...and the WORD/JESUS was God. He/THE WORD/JESUS was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by HIM/THE WORD/JESUS and apart from HIM/THE WORD/JESUS nothing came into being that has come into being. In HIM/THE WORD/JESUS was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...and the WORD/JESUS became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld HIS/THE WORD/JESUS' glory...glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-5, 14)

The mystery..revealed...is that the Holy Spirit interacts with the human spirit. Jesus...the Word...God...became flesh and dwelt among us...came down to our level...for the purpose of communicating the Good news...by word...and by action.

See ya next chapter. 

CHAPTER ONE: THE SPEAKING AND HEARING PROCESS IN THE NATURAL

Sometimes...I take things for granted. There are hundreds...if not thousands of things that I do without even taking a second thought. Breathing for example...swallowing....hearing...moving... thinking...feeling...and speaking.

The speaking process is a synergistic exercise in the natural. Here is a thumbnail sketch of the speaking process:

(1) We think a thought. (2) We decided that we want to express that thought. The expression of the thought can be verbal or non-verbal. It can be anything from a look, a shift in body posture, written down in a graphic representation of the thought, signed with sign language, or spoken. (3) We then take in a breath (4) The flow of air starts by inhaling either through the nasal passage and/or mouth (5) Air flows to the level of the vocal folds (6) The vocal folds are then drawn together (by innervation and the Bernouli effect (like standing in a shower and the shower curtain is drawn to your leg) NOTE: The opening and closing of the vocal folds happens so quickly and so many times...that you cannot see it doing it with the naked eye. You can use what is called Videostroboscopy to see the intricate movement. (7) Air is drawn into your lungs and then released back out to the level of the closed vocal folds (8) The burst of air breaks apart the vocal folds and sets into vibration the air column creating a buzz/sound waves (9) Vibrating air columns travel through the resonating cavity (pharynx/throat, nasal cavity/nose, oral cavity/mouth (10) The articulators (teeth, lips, soft palate, tongue) forms various configurations of letters/words (11) We speak.

This is quite an intricate process from thought to word. We become a transmitter of thought...that seeks out a receiver. The receiver is the listener's ears...and not only the listener's ears...but also the the transmitter's ears...as they self-monitor what is being said.

The receiver is an equally fearfully and wonderfully made apperatus.

We have the collection of sound waves stuck on the side of our noggin. Also located in the noggin are sensory organs for balance. These collectors of sound are what we call our ears....however that is really a misnomer. The two things that we have on the side of our heads are called the pinna or the auricle. The are merely the entrance way of sound...on route to our hearing mechanism (however collectively all of the parts are considered the ear. It goes something like this:

(1) Sound is generated from the transmitter (2) The sound is collected at the pinna/auricle [the outer ear] (3) Sound travels down the external acoustic meatus (ear canal) (4) Sound hits the tympanic membrane (ear drum) [entrance into the middle ear (5) 3 bones are set into motion [the malleus/hammer, the incus/anvil , the stapus/stirrup] (6) The stapus/stirrup is fixed into a window of the inner ear/cochela (7) The mechanical movement of the 3 bones sets into motion fluid found in the snail like structure of the Cochlia (8) As the wave like motion travel through the inner ear...tiny hair like structures are snapped and spark an electrical impulse that goes to the brain via the 8th Cranial/Acoustic nerve. NOTE: All along the way of the cochia there are various frequencies of sound. (9) The various configurations of sounds are registered in the brain and decoded for us to understand words.

This ongoing process...this interaction...this communication process... this interpersonal communication relationship is going on constantly. We speak we hear. We take words...and come into an agreement about what they mean...and form what we call language. Communication consists of speaking, hearing, responding with semantics (word meaning), syntax (word order), pragmatics (appropriate use of semantic and syntax).

NOTE: This process of interaction of speaking and hearing is monitored by PROPRIOCEPTION. Proprioception is a term that includes two aspects that is manifested not only in speech and hearing but movement in general. It includes: (1) (a) kinesthesia [awarness of bodily movement and position] (b) taction [sense of touch or contact]. "Speech is presumably monitored through auditory and proprioceptive feedback."
(2) Sensory data from muscles, joints, or tendons
[Thanx and a tip O da hat to the Teminology of Communication Disorders Dictionary]

All of what we have said thus far is just the natural flow of what we don't even have to think about. The problem is... when these things are hindered by sickness and disease. The problems could range from cerumen (ear wax) blocking the sound waves to cancer of the larynx (lar-inks...not lar-nicks) to progressive neurological diseases (Parkinson's, ALS,. M.S.) to a CVA (cerebrovascular accident). Each one of these things is a study in itself and depending on where the problem occurs, how extensive the problem is will determine the type of therapy and the hope of recovery.

In the next chapter we will look at the spiritual aspect of the speaking and hearing process and the things that can hinder you speaking and hearing the Word of God. Jesus said at various times..."Let him who has ears to hear...hear." He was not talking about the collection of sounds and the physical hearing process...but He was talking about taking in information and dropping that information into our hearts and perceiving and understanding what is being said/spoken/heard.

INTRODUCTION

My name is Rodney Boyd...and I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. Speech Pathology is my profession...but being a Christian...a follower of Jesus Christ is my passion. Over the years I have seen the link between the natural and the supernatural in the realm of the Speech and Hearing Process. This book is the outcome of working with those who have difficulties with speech, hearing, cognition, expression...and how it relates to speaking, hearing, thought processes, and expression of the Word of God in our lives...and the things that hinder that process.

We really are fearfully and wonderfully made...designed...created. There are so many correlations in the natural about how we function. Thanks to all of the people in my life who have encouraged me to pursue my passion...but especially my wife and son...Brenda and Phillip Boyd. They are the ones who keep me grounded and focused.

One day this book may make it into book form...but until then...it is going to be blogged.

Love In Him
Rodney Boyd M.Ed; CCC-SLP